What small wagon should I buy?

Looking for a small car or wagon that won't choke when asked to carry a bike? Here are some suggestions.

26 September 2014Cameron McGavin

Honda Jazz VTi: Supremely practical.

The dilemma

Sue and her husband happily get by with just one car. They are, though, looking to replace it with something more practical as he's a keen cyclist who likes to transport his bike inside the car. They're thinking a small wagon should deliver their desired carrying capacity without being too big for daily driving.

The budget

Less than $25,000

The shortlist

We can't fault Sue and her husband's small-wagon logic, which just leaves them with the task of picking the right one.

Honda Jazz

That's potentially difficult as the segment isn't short of talent. It encompasses both mainstream and niche options so there's the question of flavour, too.

We don't know exactly where Sue and her husband stand in respect to the latter. But we can cover off both ends of the bargain with two standout examples of these respective creeds.

Our third spot? Well, short of devotion to a particular badge, there's not a lot to be gained elsewhere in the small-wagon domain. So we might take a look at something that could just make one redundant.

Honda Jazz, from $14,990

Honda Jazz VTi: Supremely practical.

With clever cabin packaging and back seats that fold flatter and lower than traditional setups, maximum carrying capacity (1492 litres) is similar to a small wagon.

More pertinently here, you can flip the back-seat bases up and fit two bikes in (front wheels removed) without needing to encroach on the 350-litre boot.

The Jazz is easy to drive, economical (5.8L/100km in auto form) and ? uniquely at this budget ? can be bought new. It has no serious performance/driveability shortcomings and all models have a reversing camera.

Just don't expect on-road refinement or especially composed, surefooted handling. While service costs are capped for five years/100,000km, it has six-monthly/10,000km intervals and outlays are quite high (about $500 annually, plus the cost of 'adaptive' items not included in the capped price).

2013-on Hyundai i30 Tourer, from $17,600*

This Hyundai has a bigger boot than the Honda (528 litres), a more refined on-road demeanour and more reassuring handling.

It has lifetime capped-price servicing that is more affordable (about $350-odd annually) and has yearly/15,000km intervals. It has a longer five-year warranty (versus three).

The need to buy used at this budget, though, will eat into that warranty advantage. Any boot-space advantage over the Jazz also shrinks with the back seats folded (1642 litres) and there are fewer ways to utilise the space.

Its petrol engine, too, uses more fuel (6.9L/100km in auto form), and while diesels are more economical (5.6L/100km for the auto) and driveable, they're costlier. You'll need to look beyond base Active models for a reversing camera.

These current models, however, only just squeeze into this budget, so getting more than a base 90 TSI (and features like a reversing camera) might be a pipe dream.

The VW's capped-price servicing regime is inferior to the Hyundai's (six years/90,000km; $400-odd annually, plus the cost of some items not included in the capped price) and it has a shorter warranty (three years).

On paper, though, it is cheaper and ? with yearly/15,000km intervals ? more convenient to maintain than a Jazz.

Drive recommends

In terms of doing a lot with little, neither the i30 nor the Golf holds a candle to the Jazz. It's a cheaper, more manageable path to similar practicality as a small wagon, maybe even superior practicality in this particular scenario.

Still, if the Honda is our theoretical winner, it won't be right for everyone. Those who value driving nous, diesel availability, servicing convenience or image will be justified looking to our other contenders.

Which one? If you're not a car person and just want the job done well with maximum peace of mind, get the Hyundai. If you want the very best small wagon and can handle potentially paying more for the experience, get the Volkswagen.

* Values are estimates provided by Glass's Guide based on an example averaging up to 20,000km per annum and in a well-maintained condition relevant to its age.

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